Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Sci. Signal., 28 June 2011
Vol. 4, Issue 179, p. ec183
[DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.4179ec183]

EDITORS' CHOICE

Diabetes Light Control

Valda Vinson

Science, AAAS, Washington, DC 20005, USA

Melanopsin is a photopigment that triggers an intracellular calcium increase in response to blue light. Ye et al. (see the Perspective by Chow and Boyden) took advantage of calcium regulation of the transcription factor NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T cells) to design a synthetic signaling cascade that achieved light-inducible expression of transgenes under control of the NFAT promoter. Cells designed to display light-induced expression of glucagon-like peptide 1, a hormone involved in glucose homeostasis, were implanted into mice. Blue-light illumination of the implants attenuated glycemic excursions in type II diabetic mice. This approach of using light induction to provide tight regulation has potential applications in therapeutics and protein-expression technology.

H. Ye, M. Daoud-El Baba, R.-W. Peng, M. Fussenegger, A synthetic optogenetic transcription device enhances blood-glucose homeostasis in mice. Science 332, 1565–1568 (2011).[Abstract] [Full Text]

B. Y. Chow, E. S. Boyden, Synthetic physiology. Science 332, 1508–1509 (2011). [Abstract] [Full Text]

Citation: V. Vinson, Light Control. Sci. Signal. 4, ec183 (2011).

To Advertise     Find Products

Science Signaling. ISSN 1937-9145 (online), 1945-0877 (print). Pre-2008: Science's STKE. ISSN 1525-8882